Journey of Four
by MrAni
Summary: A tale of wastelanders just traveling. My first story, will have a bunch of chapters. Reviews are appreciated, just to know if this is interesting and if I should continue.
1. I  The Magician

I - The Magician

"Wake up"

"Whaa..?"

"I said: WAKE UP!"

Suddenly, a shot of a revolver.

And then only the sound of the singer broke the silence.

"Another day, shows its face..."

...

- A couple of weeks earlier -

"-but I still don't get it Tony," John opened a bottle of Nuka-Cola. "If I'm going to be a security officer, why do I need to learn how to hack computers? Seems to me that I don't need this kind of stuff." He threw the bottle cap in to the trash and took a sip from the bottle. "What if the Mister Handys go haywire? I'd rather shut them off than create more jobs to do down here like cooking and fixing the radioactive parts." Sally rolled on the floor and laughed at the boys's arguing. They had been friends for their whole lives but still had their small arguments from time to time and- "What do you think, Sal? Do you think I need to learn this stuff?" -somehow she always had to decide for them. "I don't know, I guess." "You guess?" "Well I mean yeah, it's good to know that stuff." John rolled his eyes. "Fine. Now how do I do this?" Tony explained in great detail how a computers password could be passed and after what felt like hours to John and Sally, he added "You can come practice anytime." "Yeah, I'll do that."

Not a second passed when the public announcement loudspeaker cracked on. "This is the Overseer. If you could all gather to the Atrium for a special meal. Thank you." Sally got up from her seat. "So this is the surprise meal the robots told me about." "You actually talk to those tincans?" They walked into the corridor and went with the others. "Sure, I like them. They have been working with a lot of people so they have a lot of stories to tell. And even if they're just simple AI, they can have interesting personalities."

They talked about the robotic helpers until they got to the Atrium and sat down. "Where did they get these huge tables?" "I think they were made to pop out of the floor." Tony examined the floor. "Yeah, I was right. See, no crack between the floor and table." "Wait, we've been walking on these tabl-" He got cut off by the Overseer. "Hello friends. You might wonder why we are eating in the Atrium. The only thing the computers said about this day is that we are going through some milestone in the Vault's program. The program was made to celebrate these kinds of achievements and so the robots have prepared a special meal for all of us. Now I only have one thing to say: please enjoy the meal and company!" Applauses came and went, and then the robots served the meals. It was a great change from the regural grub they had to eat so everyone ate their delicious meals quickly. After a moment of rest, people started getting up. The three friends got up and started walking toward the door. "I need to thank the robots for this great-" Sally quieted as a man, that had been coughing for a while, fell on the floor in front of her. John got on his knees. "Hey, are you ok?" There was no answer. The Vault's doctor got next to him and checked for a pulse. There was none. "He's dead." People lowered their heads, but not three seconds passed until more people started coughing. More people fell on the floor.

Screams echoed in the Atrium. People started running. John got pushed on his ass and cut off of his friends by ramming people. "Tony, Sal!" There was no answer. Only the screams, coughs and loud smashes on the floor. John got up and decided to run in to the corridor. There were people crying and coughing. And there, in a small corner, were Tony and Sally, kissing. John saw that they had both been coughing and crying. He tried to get to them, but he got suddenly dizzy, fell and hit his head on the wall. In the last moments of consciousness, he saw his friends, dead in each others arms.

John woke up on the floor, alone. He had a headache, but remembered what had happened. He looked around, but saw no one. His friends were gone, and after looking around in the Atrium, he realized that so was everyone else. The residents, the security and even the Overseer. He walked in to the mess hall and sat on a chair. "What would you like Mr. Pilgrim?" asked the Mister Handy with a slight southern accent. "Just give me some water." The robot took a glass and started filling it. "And maybe something for the headache."

8/15/2281

It's been a few days since everybody else di... disappeared. I decided to start doing a voice diary. To try and keep my sanity. I've had a non-stop headache. I can barely sleep at night. I just try to eat some pills to keep it at a manageable state. I want to know more about what happened. Maybe I can get into the Overseers office. I'll think about it tomorrow.

8/17/2281

I've gotten closer in hacking the Overseer's files. They've got some pretty hard passwords on them. It's good that I can use Tony's... Ugh... Umm... Tony's computer to practice.

...

God I miss them. All of them.

8/18/2281

I had the robots set up a screen with all of the vault dwellers' names. I also found some candles and lit one next to the screen.

...

I got into the files and did some searching. Apparently, the day wasn't a milestone. Not even close. There must have been some other reason. I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight, but searching for the answer.

I still have a headache so I don't think I'd be sleeping anyway.

8/21/2281

Nothing really happening. I'm still going through the files. But I think I'm hearing voices in my head. I don't need to be a psychiatric to know that it's a sign of insanity. I also noticed something wierd when I washed my face last night and checked it again just a while ago. My eyes are becoming white. I mean my pupils's color is changing from blue to white. Maybe the foods reaction to me was different.

8/22/2281

Finally! I found something worthwhile. Some kind of drug was added to the food that we ate. I asked the robots to tell me about the drug, but they only told me that they were 'special'. Don't know what that means though.

...

I have to admit something. I wouldn't have found the file if I hadn't listened to... a voice in my head. One of them seems to really smart. I'm not really confident in listening to them though.

8/25/2281

I got some of the guns and ammo from the Security offices lockers. I put up some plates in the Atrium and used them for target practice. I need to know how to shoot if I want to go topside. I also got my Pip-boy to pick up signals from there. Been listening to this 'Mr. New Vegas' for a while and learnt something from his speeches. One, the currency up there is 'caps'. Bottle caps? I doubt it but just in case, I'll save the caps I open. Two, there's some kind of war going on. I thought we were put here to save us from the war. I don't know. And three, 'New Vegas is still shining its lights across the night sky.' I've read from some holodisks that a city called Las Vegas once stood close the Vault. But that must have been destroyed during the war. My eyes are still white. I don't know why the drug did this, probably because of what happened to the other pills, just my pill had a lesser dose of it.

8/26/2281

Raagh! *crash*

...

*sob* God why did you leave me alone? *sob*

I didn't want this! *sob*

I don't know if I should go out to the wasteland.

I'm not strong enough.

...

Oh, but I am.

I'm brilliant, charismatic, agile and most importantly, lucky.

...

What just happened?

...

I need another drink.

8/27/2281

My headache got worse again. But I think it's because of the alcohol I had yesterday. It was a mistake. I had to listen to yesterdays recording to find out what happened to my chair. But what was I saying? I don't remember saying any of that... Ow.. That charismatic stuff. Then again, I don't remember much.

...

But I know I didn't say any of the stuff about agility and luck. I'm sure of it.

8/29/2281

I'm leaving. I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life. I don't even care if I die as soon as I open the vaults door. I just want to leave. I'll pack today and sleep the night off. Although I'm not so sure the vaults day-night cycle is the same as the topside. Even if I leave in the morning, I might walk out to an afternoon. I'll have to adapt to more things than that anyway.

John stood in front of the giant metal wheel. He had a backpack full of food, water, ammo and some meds. On his waist he had the pistol that was, as he saw it, in the best condition. He also had a SMG on his back. He was ready for an adventure, even if it meant death. He pushed a button on the control panel and took a breath. Sirens yelled. The giant door pushed back and rolled to its side. He let the breath out and took a step into the tunnel.

...

John saw the sunlight for the first time in his life. As he made his way outside, his eyes hurt from the light. Even though it was only the early evening sun, it was brighter than the lamps in the vault. He reached into his pocket and took out the sunglasses he had found in the Overseer's office. He quickly covered his white eyes. The wasteland looked different than what he had originally thought of. There were no trees that he had seen on holodisks, or animals running around. The only moving things were the sand and tumbleweeds going with the wind. The only buildings visible were giant, brightly lit buildings to the west and a small house near the entrance to the vault. John whipped up the map on his Pip-boy. "It's good to know where you're coming from", he thought as he marked the Vaults location on the map. He took one last look into the cave and started walking.

...

The sun came down quicker than John had anticipated. Darkness was already settling before he even got halfway to the house. The weight of his backpack and the SMG were more than he thought. He thought that maybe he should have tried walking with them before settling for his 'epic adventure'. He could hear something moving close-by. He wasn't sure what it was, something big probably. He grabbed his pistol and started running. The more he ran, the closer were his follower. He shot once into the bushes. The follower stopped. John stopped and turned. A cazador jumped out of the bushes and sped at him. John looked in fear at the venomous mouth of the cazador. He shot at it with no success, missing every shot. With one bullet and only being outside the vault for just hours, he already welcomed death.

...

Even though he didn't notice it, John's eyes flashed into a brownish color. He pointed the gun at the speeding cazador with steady hands. He pulled the trigger to fire the only bullet left. Not a second passed when the bullet pierced the cazador's head, killing it with ease. John eyes returned back to their original, white color. "How'd I do that?" he asked the quiet evening. He laughed at his unbelievable luck as he reloaded his gun. Now, with a bit more confidence, he walked toward the house.

...

The house was actually in really good condition. As John opened the door, he yelled in to the darkness. "Hello? Anybody in here?" No answer. John walked inside, had a quick look around to see if anyone had hid from him, hand on his pistol the whole time. He found no one, so he decided to have a quick snack and sleep on the bed he found upstairs. After eating, he threw his weapons and other carriages on the floor. He actually trembled a little when the floor cracked a bit under his backpack as it hit the floor. He lied on the bed, closed his eyes and let the smooth jazz on the radio lull him in to a good, well earned sleep.

...

"Wake up"

"Whaa..?"

"I said: WAKE UP!"

Suddenly, a shot of a revolver.

And then only the sound of the singer broke the silence.

"Another day, shows its face..."


	2. II The High Priestess

II - The High Priestess

Laura lived with her father. She helped him around the farm and fed the brahmin. They had enough food and water for the both of them, and frequently visited Westside and met up with some of his father's friends. When she grew up she also started cooking to give more time for her father to rest. He also taught her to shoot. Near her 17th birthday she got a revolver from her father which she promised to keep and to use it only when her life was threatened. Sadly, that time came too quickly.

The Fiends didn't normally come so far from Vault 3, but a small group of them had gotten high on chems. In that one night, when Laura and her father had to protect themselves and their farm, the Fiends killed their brahmin, destroyed half of the crops and blew up a part of the house. Even thought Laura and her father killed a number of them and scared the rest of them off, the Fiends had done too much damage. Laura's father had to get a loan.

The only person who would give a loan to them was Danielle "The Demonic Angel". The wild card of Vegas. If your outside of her group, you might see her picking up homeless and giving them a job. An angel of good will. But if you're on the inside, you'll see the "jobs" that she gives to them. The men are put to work at an old factory. Making highly addictive drugs, attempting to fix pre-war technology, you name it. The women aren't so lucky. They are put to work at Danielle's brothel. This is where Danielle gets her nickname.

When it came to loans, Danielle wasn't very generous. With a one-and-a-half thousand cap loan with a  
>100 % interest. As her father discussed the deal with Danielle, Laura hid behind him. "A 100% interest? Do you know what I do for a living?" "No, and I don't really care. But if you want the caps you have to agree to the terms." Laura's father took a look at his daughter, and turned back to the woman. "Fine. I'll accept the terms." Danielle had a slight, devilish smile on her face as the two left the building with the caps.<p>

- A few months later -

Danielle had come to collect the monthly caps with a couple of goons. Nothing out of the ordinary, she usually had them just to quickly check the caps. Laura stood in the doorway of their house as her father walked to the man and handed him the caps. He did a quick count and walked to Danielle and whispered something to her. "Fakes? Oh well, we can't have that." She walked towards Laura's father and the goons grabbed him by the arms. You thought you could pay your debt with counterfeits?" "What! I got the money from-" Danielle pulled out her pistol and aimed at his head. "Quiet! It's time I show you what we do to people who try to deceive us." Laura, who stood in the doorway screamed. "NO!" Her father turned to look at his daughter as Danielle shot. His movement made the bullet hit his shoulder instead."No! Dad!" Laura began running towards her father, but stopped when Danielle shot in front of her. "You better stay back, if you don't want your father missing a daughter." Her father turned to her. "Laura, stay back." Danielle lowered to the fallen man with a slight smile. "I just missed your heart." Then she nodded to the goons and they dragged him away. "You'll work for me to repay your debt. Then I might let you go." Laura couldn't bear to watch her father being dragged. "Wait!" Danielle turned to her. "Oh yes, I almost forgot about you. Do you want your father back?" Laura nodded with tears running down her face. "Then we'll make a deal. You repay your entire debt for the next collection and I'll let him go." She, her goons and Laura's father disappeared to the Mojave as Laura stood there, watching until the evening.

After a long night helping at the Atomic Wrangler, Laura had nearly earned all the caps she would need to get her father. "Just a dozen caps, huh." She shut her eyes against the rising sun while she walked toward her house. She couldn't call it her father's house. Not yet. She noticed a rotten smell coming from a dead cazador. "A headshot? On a cazador? Now I've seen everything." She shrugged her shoulders and continued walking to the house. She opened the door and was greeted by Mr. New Vegas. He was finishing some news and started playing some music. Laura didn't remember leaving the radio open and as she walked to the kitchen she realized she hadn't. The sound wasn't coming from the radio she owned. She took out her revolver and checked the barrel. One bullet. She knew she couldn't kill anyone. Never could. Maybe she could scare the invader into running away and leaving their stuff. Maybe she can get the remaining caps. She tried to look for the source of the music, which appeared to come from upstairs. The bedroom to be exact. Laura gripped the handle of the revolver harder and looked into the room. A boy, about her age, was sleeping on her father's bed. She aimed at his head. She slowly walked into the room. As the song ended, she took a breath.

"Wake up"

"Whaa..?"

"I said: WAKE UP!"

Suddenly, a shot of a revolver.

And then only the sound of the singer broke the silence.

...

John laid there for a good ten seconds, staring at the smoking end of a revolver. To his left, a hole in the pillow with the bullet in it. The shooter, a girl about his age, looked tense, almost terrified. Finally, after a short while of silence, he finally got the courage to talk. With a quiet, shaky voice he started to speak. "Wha-what was that?" The girl didn't answer, but her aim was still on him. She looked a bit shocked. "Are you alright?" "Leave." "What?" "Leave, or I'll shoot you. Don't think I won't." John tried to reason with her. "Wait, wait. Can't we..." The girl shoved the gun onto his nose. It was hot from the previous shot and burned John's nose. "I warned you." John's white eyes looked at the gun in fear.

Laura had the boy on the ropes. He would either push her down and run in to the wasteland or beg her to let him go alive. Either way she would get his stuff and the caps she needed. "I don't think you'll be shooting anybody with that gun before you reload it." What? How'd he know? The boy stood up on the floor, staring at her with his blue eyes, which she swore were freakishly white a second ago. "How did you..." Laura hadn't slept well the night before and hadn't even closed her eyes last night. The lack of sleep finally caught up on her. She started wobbling. "Hey, are you alright?" Laura fainted before she could answer and fell on the floor.

John rushed to grab the girl, but couldn't catch her. He lifted her of the floor onto the bed and tried to remember what he had been taught in his first-aid class. He checked for a pulse, which he was relieved to find; a fever, which there was none and lastly, using his Pip-boy, a radiation poisoning. The reading stayed low. He worried for a slight second. The first human he had met upside and she could be dead already. The girl started to snore. John had a slightly annoyed face. She had only fallen asleep. John turned away from her and noticed the revolver on the floor. He grabbed it and noticed a small engraving on it. To Laura. He wondered if it was the girl's own name, or the name of the person she killed to get it. He shook his head to get the thought of put of his head and set the weapon on the nightstand. He packed his things and went downstairs.

Laura woke up. She had been unconscious for a good fifteen minutes. She quickly rolled over to the nightstand and opened the drawer. She grabbed the Jet which she had gotten from her friend. It had been neutralized to just fill the person using it with energy. No fear of getting addicted to the stuff. She took a breath of it and felt her body filled with energy. She noticed the revolver on the stand. She took it, slipped it into its holster. She ran downstairs. As she got down, she saw the boy in the doorway. He noticed Laura and looked surprised to see her. "You didn't sleep long." "Yeah, I don't want to sleep long, not today. Thanks by the way." "It fine. I didn't want to stress you too much after you passing out like that. Are you going to be okay alone?" Even though she was still weak, a quick boost of anger came over her. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She pushed the boy out of the door. Out of the corner of her eye she saw two men.

"And you thought she might be worried about her old man. But here she is, throwing men out of her house." Laura stopped pushing, but John still fell on his face. The sunglasses almost cracked as his face hit the dry, warm ground. Laura turned to the men. "What do you want?" She knew the men were Danielle's men. "Danielle wanted to know if you were going to pay today. Remember? Last day to pay or your father stays in the cell. Or maybe he'll be fed to Laura's pets." "Yeah, I'll bring the money to her. I'll be there before nightfall." The men looked at each other and grinned. "Why don't you give the caps to us and we'll tell Danielle to let your old man free, huh?" Laura knew they were lying. They'd keep the caps to themselves and tell Danielle that she wasn't going to pay. And she would lose her father. Then again, they might tell Danielle that anyway. She had to come up with something to make the men think what they would do. Something drastic.

John was dumbfounded. What did these men want with the girl? Caps? Wait. Bottle caps? John stood up and faced the men. The girl turned to him. Her back was against the men so they couldn't see her face as she talked. "Could you lend your gun?" John had a surprised face. He handed his pistol. The men noticed this and tried to get their guns. Before either of them had a chance to even take aim at her, she had shot one man in the foot and the other in the arm. "Tell Danielle that I'll get her money there in time. My father better be in time or she'll suffer the consequences." The men struggled up and leaned to each other as they walked off. Laura watched them for a while before hurrying inside.

Laura went straight into the kitchen. She went through the cupboards and shelves, looking for the missing caps. She started mumbling to herself. "God damnit... Just a dozen caps. I only need a dozen. Ow!" A can fell on her head. The boy came back in. "Oh, yeah, you want this back." Laura had forgot about the gun. She set it on the table and returned to her search. She suddenly heard the sound of small pieces of metal clinging on the wooden table. "Dozen's twelve, right?" Laura quickly turned around and saw a pile of caps on the table. "Ye-yeah..." She went to the table. "Are you sure I can have these? Even after I've put you through?" "Yeah." Laura grabbed the caps and looked back at him. His eyes had a grayish color. "I doubt this'll be the last time"

"Do you think they'll just let you go, after all you've done, once they get their money?"


End file.
